CHAPTER 282
The Beginning of Change
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Ye Qinghan, being cautious, informed her sisters before taking her seat in the audience.
Lingxian Hall was no longer what it once was, nor was Ye Qinghan the same as before. Ling Mountain had arranged a seat for the sect master for Su Cheng, but he had declined it.
"I paid for this seat. Now you want me to leave?"
Li Shiyao stepped forward, confronting the Ling Mountain representative and chiming in!
"Exactly! Do you have any idea how much our master paid? This seat was bought with money! Now you want to shove us off to some other spot?"
The young man from Ling Mountain was utterly flabbergasted. He'd long heard rumors that Lingxian Hall's people weren't quite right in the head, and now he saw it wasn't just hearsay…
"Don't misunderstand. As the head of a sect, Ling Mountain has arranged a separate, more spacious viewing platform for Master Su. All the prestigious sect leaders are seated there."
Su Cheng curled his lip. Truthfully, he understood this was an attempt to offer him a way out, hoping both sides could save face.
Truthfully, he was quite willing to offer them a way out—or to step onto the one they were extending.
Accepting would mean granting them face, sitting down to discuss matters, and making his stance clear.
Refusing would be like spitting in their face.
But Su Cheng truly didn't want to get mixed up with them. He wasn't exactly a saint, but he believed his actions were justified self-defense.
These pretentious beasts, dressed in fancy clothes, were nothing but outright, utterly depraved villains!
Su Cheng didn't believe they were guilty, nor did he have the authority to judge these cultivators.
But Su Cheng refused to stoop to their level. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. If he himself was a sycophant, how could he possibly teach his disciples?
"I appreciate Ling Mountain's kindness, but there's no need to switch seats."
"As you can see, Lingxian Hall is rather crowded. It would be inconvenient for the masters to converse freely."
"My disciples are rather mischievous. I fear they might disturb the other sect leaders."
The young messenger from Ling Mountain had no choice but to return and report this.
The assembled sect leaders at Ling Mountain's martial arena now huddled together, awaiting Su Cheng's response. Truth be told, they were all intensely curious about this Su Cheng—just who was he, really?
"He actually said that? What an ungrateful fool!" A white-bearded elder slammed his palm on the table, as if he'd never encountered such insolence!
"Master Cheng, what do you make of this?"
The question came from Ling Mountain's Side Peak Elder, who knew of the history between Cheng Liang and Su Cheng.
Cheng Liang gave a wry smile. "Too many people, inconvenient, mischievous—isn't that perfectly clear? Don't you understand?"
Cheng Liang couldn't help but wonder how this bunch had ever attained their positions—they were all fools!
But he was beginning to take Su Cheng seriously. Getting rid of him by conventional means was now virtually impossible!
Losing Ye Chenmeng, the bloodline of the Fox Demon King, had disrupted nearly all his plans.
Unattainable, even beyond destruction—the entire Northern Realm has fallen into enemy hands, seized by Su Cheng!
And all of this should have been his!
Cheng Liang couldn't understand. The Su Cheng he knew seemed to have undergone a drastic change in temperament after that day's initiation ceremony, as if he were a different person altogether.
He had actually gone to great lengths to confront someone over Li Shiyao, personally seeking retribution just to vent anger for a fool!
Anyone who crossed Ye Qinghan vanished without a trace overnight. Whether sects or clans, they adhered to the principle of leaving no survivors, employing methods of extreme cruelty!
In less than half a month, the Northern Domain was transformed beyond recognition. Not a single one of the Twelve Sacred Domains escaped unscathed. The thousand-mile snowy plains bowed their heads in submission beneath the iron hooves!
Of those he dispatched, none returned alive except Shangguan Rou and Lu Cheng.
The Celestial Path Pavilion of today bore no resemblance to its former self. Of its once-numerous elders, only two remained. Lu Cheng had met an unfortunate end, and countless disciples and servants had perished.
And all this, for a fool whom no one held in high regard!
The moment he realized the Northern Realm had changed hands, he should have grasped the gravity of this situation.
To only grasp it now was truly foolish.
Neither of the two Immortals could overcome this Su Cheng. He must have a powerful figure backing him, like that cunning fox. Otherwise, how could he have grown so strong so suddenly?
But compared to last time, Cheng Liang had gained a crucial insight!
Su Cheng's power came from external sources! This confirmed his suspicion: Su Cheng was most likely aided by an immortal, and that immortal was probably a Divine Sovereign of the same caliber as that great fox!
According to the intelligence gathered, most of Su Cheng's divine abilities were channeled through jade slips, while he himself possessed no particularly formidable innate powers.
Beyond the jade slip, he relied on magical artifacts. Without these two, Su Cheng possessed only standard Foundation Establishment cultivation—hardly a match for him.
Ruo'er mentioned that Su Cheng also possesses a massive, entirely black sword—a weapon that is equally peculiar.
"Rou'er, why stand so far away? Come beside your master."
Shangguan Rou twirled a strand of her hair between her jade-like fingers, lost in thought as she gazed at the transformed figures of Lingxian Hall. Master Su's refusal of Ling Mountain's arrangement was entirely predictable—he naturally wouldn't want to be stuck with that incessantly nagging old man.
Truth be told, Shangguan Rou believed both Su Cheng and Cheng Liang were men of great ambition. Had they not harbored mutual prejudices, they might even have become friends.
Heh, she wasn't foolish enough to truly view Su Cheng as a good-for-nothing who wasted his days. Perhaps this facade was merely a means to shield some grand ambition from being distracted by trivial matters.
Even without saying it, she understood neither master was truly evil. But upon this realization, Shangguan Rou…
It seemed… Master Su truly wasn't a good person either…
But to achieve great things, one doesn't look at background, but at ability, right?
If the two of them joined forces, what couldn't they accomplish?
Still, she dared not speak such thoughts directly to Cheng Liang. After all, her master was notoriously jealous and notoriously difficult to appease!
She could only hint at it indirectly. A disciple's humble opinion—how could the master blame her?
Leaning close to her master's side, Shangguan Rou felt no urgency and harbored no grand expectations. Most crucially, she believed what both masters needed now was a shared interest—or a common enemy.
He felt that even if he didn't say it, with the intellect of either his master or Sect Leader Su, it wouldn't be difficult for them to realize this point.
Cooperation was far more advantageous than confrontation.
With Master Su as an ally… an ally… rather than a subordinate, many endeavors would achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Moreover, the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, inheriting the will of Heaven, could leverage its influence to accomplish much of what Master Su sought to achieve.
"Holy Mountain! Li! Shi! Yao!"
Li Shiyu's match was the first of the day. Senior Sister, Junior Sister, and the Master had all given her countless reminders!
Stay low-key! Exercise utmost restraint!
Supernatural abilities? Avoid using them if possible!
Moreover, this is the Ling Mountain Tournament, which requires participating disciples to possess both virtue and excellence, embodying exemplary character!
"Shiyao, remember—the Ling Mountain Tournament is different from others. Don't be mischievous, and don't go around pulling people's pants down!"
"Got it!" Li Shiyu chuckled softly, her jade-like arm flickering as she transformed into a streak of light, soaring through the azure clouds to perch atop the back of the Inferno Lion!
Behold—as her fiery claws stamped through the air, a thunderous thud echoed, as if footsteps were being heard.
Such a grand entrance even overshadowed the arrival of the sect masters and elders. The crowd buzzed with whispers, debating the rank of the Holy Maiden's mount!
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